Virtu Financial LLC Has $4.24 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 76.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 25,007 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,837 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,235,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank increased its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $163.75.

Hershey Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $167.38 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $162.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.12. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.